FG releases N38.93bn to revamp 166 public tertiary institutions

The federal government has disbursed N38.93 billion to 166 public tertiary institutions under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund, in a move aimed at tackling infrastructure deficits and improving teaching and learning conditions across the country.

Efe Ovuakporie, the head of media at the Federal Ministry of Finance, in a statement issued on Sunday, said the beneficiaries comprise 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education.

Universities got the lion’s share of the intervention, with N28.5 billion, while polytechnics were allocated N5.8 billion and colleges of education N4.7 billion.

The federal public universities account for a major chunk on a percentage basis, with about 73.2 percent, compared with 14.9 percent for polytechnics and 12.1 percent for colleges of education.

The ministry said the intervention was designed to address long-standing infrastructure challenges in public tertiary institutions and to support the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

“The federal government has disbursed N38.93 billion to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund,” the statement said.

Inadequate facilities have remained a recurring issue in negotiations between the government and academic unions, particularly in public universities.

The fund is meant to support infrastructure upgrades and other identified institutional needs. According to the ministry, the latest release will enable beneficiary institutions to start new projects or advance those already approved, with the overall goal of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria.

The government also stressed the need for close coordination among the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Education and the beneficiary institutions to ensure that the funds deliver measurable improvements.

Besides, the statement added that effective collaboration would be critical to translating the financial intervention into better infrastructure, stronger institutional capacity and improved learning conditions.